Challenge Stu

I went out running last night. Normally on a Friday I do a strength and conditioning session at Accelerate, then 30 minutes or so of drills later, but yesterday I decided to drive out to Edale and run a loop to Blackden trig on the edge of Kinder, Win Hill, down through Hope and Castleton, then over Mam Tor and back to the car. This is a small part of a bigger route I'd like to do soon so a good chance for a recce. All went well from the car park at Barber Booth to Edale then up Ringing Roger and to the Blackden trig, which I found pretty easily. I ran round to Win Hill in the fading light and turned my torch on at the summit. It was a lovely evening but I was short of time so checked the map for a shortcut. There wasn't one, so off I went, down through Twitchill Farm and into Hope, then along the road to Castleton. From there my route up Mam Tor would be up the road to Blue John caverns, then up the steep but short grassy climb to the summit. Planned route up Mam Tor...

The last weekend in April normally means one thing for me - the Fellsman. It's a classic, and a race I really love. 61ish miles across the stunning Yorkshire Dales in a big horseshoe from Ingleton to Threshfield. The race has everything a race in the UK should have - big climbs, proper off road bogginess, and amazing views. It's a race I've never quite done as well at as I would like (I can't remember how many times I've been 4th but it's certainly a few), meaning that it has a continued lure to return each year. The Fellsman - why would you do any other race?? However, this year would be different, because in Yorkshire on the same day each year there's another prestigious race going on. The two even cross paths at Hill Inn, in the valley between Whernside and Inglebrough... Which probably gives away which race it is - the 3 Peaks Fell Race. There are similarities to the Fellsman, but this one is shorter (23 miles), less boggy and "off-path" (...

Ahead of the Accelerate Going Long event on Tuesday, I've been asked to write a bit about the first time I ran over the marathon distance. I can't remember if my Hadrian's Wall run is technically the right answer, but it was a very memorable day so I thought I'd try to write a bit about it.... It was 2007, and I'm not sure I was really a runner. I was at University in Sheffield (for the first time), I ran probably a couple of times a week and was just starting to get into a few little fell races in the Peak District. I had a poster of the Bob Graham round on my wall and was in awe of people like Mark Hartell and Stephen Pyke - the long distance bug had bitten, I just wasn't quite fit enough for it! 17th June 2007 The Hadrian's Wall Path is an 84 mile path from one side of England to the other. It starts at Bowness-on-Solway and finishes at a place called Wallsend (top name). I think there's now a race which follows the route, but in 2007 it ha...